From 'Sport for All' to Not About 'Sport' at All?: Interrogating Sport Policy Interventions in the United Kingdom

This article provides a critical account of the ways in which the funding for, and political justifications underlying, sport policy in the United Kingdom have shifted from concerns to provide 'Sport for All' opportunities for the generality of the population, and at various times for targeted groups in particular, to a peculiarly sharp twofold focus. Namely: (i) the promotion of the 'active citizen' through social investment strategies that have children and young people as their principal target; and (ii) a 'no compromise' approach to winning (Olympic) medals and trophies on the international stage. In utilizing the theoretical perspectives of 'policy as discourse' and 'storylines', the analysis thus interrogates, and goes some way towards answering, questions raised in the literature regarding the 'demise' of Sport for All related programmes and activities. The conclusions consider some of the potential ramifications of this sharpened twofold policy focus for sport policymakers, management professionals and practitioners alike.